


Hearts on Fire

by FairyTaleAdventures



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: 3x09, F/M, Limlendez, Neil plays hero, but also a softie when it comes to melendez, lim is a badass, there is also a fire, this is really just 3000 words of nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22871758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyTaleAdventures/pseuds/FairyTaleAdventures
Summary: Starts with the ending scene from episode 3x09 when Audrey confronts Neil about her difficulty coping with their breakup. Then there is a fire at the hospital which leads to Audrey being a badass as always, Neil being a hero, and some added fluff because why not.
Relationships: Audrey Lim/Neil Melendez
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	Hearts on Fire

**Author's Note:**

> I accidentally found myself in a creative writing class where I had to write a romantic piece that included a fire and that's how this mess was created. I haven't written anything in literally 4 years and I had like two hours to come up with this so I apologise in advance. 
> 
> If you liked it, feel free to leave me a request in the comment section as I rather enjoyed writing again and would love for some inspiration to create more pieces.

“I’m not saying we should get back together.”

“What are you saying?” 

Audrey avoided his stare, hesitating. She meant what she said that night at Neils. She wasn’t objective when it came to him and while their dispute may have all worked out in the end, she feared that her lack of objectivity towards him would have potentially pernicious consequences in the future. She had worked way too hard all throughout medical school, through her residency, and up until this point in her life to earn the position of Chief. It was not a commitment she took lightly and she made the decision early on in life to put her career before her personal life. 

But she also meant when she confessed that she was in love with him.

When she finally met his eyes, she felt that familiar tightening in her chest, a feeling she first felt that night in his office when his fingers lightly make contact with hers after their long awaited proclamation of feelings. Her affection for him had not faltered within their few days apart. If anything, their breakup was having the opposite effect on their working relationship. She knew deep down that their separation was a mistake. She knew it as soon as she left his place that night. They had too much history filled with a great deal of longing and respect, which caused them to bring out the best in one another when they were together.

“I’m saying I think we should sit down and have a real conversation about this,” she gestured between the two of them. “About our relationship and where we should go from here.”

That familiar half smile returned to his face and it immediately filled her with warmth. He took a step closer to her. Just close enough to where he could reach out and grab her hand. He didn’t. 

“Meet me at the entrance by the west wing in twenty. I have a young patient with congestive heart failure scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I need to check on his pre-op condition on my way out.” 

Audrey nodded in understanding. As he excused himself, his hand intentionally grazed hers as he headed for the door to leave his office. 

oOo

After heading back to her office to put away some last minute paperwork and pick up her jacket, Audrey found herself sitting in the west wing waiting room, scrolling though emails regarding upcoming meetings. 

“Goodnight Dr. Lim.” She looked up to find Dr. Park, dressed in jeans and a sweater, waving at her. 

“Have a good night Dr. Park. And great job today with the -” her praise was interrupted by women’s voice over the PA system. 

“Code red, surgical short stay. Code red, surgical short stay.” For a split second Audrey hesitated, certain she had misheard. It was late and she was tired. In her current state of mind, it wouldn’t be completely abnormal for her to have imagined those words. But when she glanced back at Dr. Park, she found him looking straight at her, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion, mirroring the same expression as her. 

Suddenly, they both heard the fire alarms going off in the distance. 

It was like a flip of a switch. One second it was calm, the next, complete mayhem. Patients cries of wariness, nurses telling people to stay calm and go back to their rooms, hospital phones ringing continuously. 

It took Audrey a second to register that there was no immediate danger in the vicinity. 

After the initial shock faded, she sprung into action. “Everybody listen up” she shouted, loud enough for everyone in the west wing to pause and look at her. “Okay” She stood onto the chair she had been sitting on and took a deep breath mentally preparing herself. Her next words of choice had to be constructed carefully to avoid any further turbulence. “A code red is an indication that a fire has broken out in the surgical short stay area.” There was an immediate outburst of confused chatter. “However” Audrey interrupted loudly. “The surgical short stay area is on a different floor on the opposite end of the hospital. Now do you hear that loud beeping.” She pointed towards a brightly flashing fire alarm. “It is beeping once every eleven seconds, which means there is no immediate threat to this section of the hospital and it is unlikely that any of you will need to evacuate.” Audrey noticed the faces of people immediately relax, but continued talking. “Now, just for precautionary measures, I need everyone to go back to your designated areas and put on jacket and a pair of outdoor shoes. If you need assistance with any of those tasks, or you cannot walk on your own, press your call button and a nurse will come by to check on you. If you are a patient here, do not leave this building unless directly told to do so by one of the hospital staff.” Before concluding, she added. “The staff has been trained multiple times for situations like this and you are in good hands.”

As people began shuffling back to their assigned rooms, she glanced back at Dr. Park who had a look of astonishment on his face. 

He held out his hand to help her off the chair she had been standing on. “Impressive.”

She gave him a grateful smile, one that did not quite reach her eyes. “If only that was the hardest part of our evening.”

oOo

As Dr. Lim and Dr. Park headed towards the surgical short stay, the beeping coming from the fire alarms began to increase in tempo while the smell of smoke became more and more prominent, causing them to quicken their pace. As they passed through the double glass doors that entered into the main area of the surgical short stay, the first thing Audrey noticed was the fire seemed to be burning in one hallway of the unit, only affecting a handful of patient rooms. While the location of the fire meant they would be able to safely get most people out into the hallway and away from harm, it also meant that anyone trapped on the opposite end of the flames would be cornered in. The second thing she noticed was a doctor attempting to annihilate the flames with a fire extinguisher, which only seemed to restrain the flames, not obliterate them completely. 

“How can we help?” Dr. Park asked one of the nurses who was busy unhooking a patients IV drip bag from the infusion pump where it was secured. 

The medical staff had already implemented the proper protocol. Patients closest to the location of the fire had already been removed and transported to adjacent sections of the hospital where further evacuation was unlikely, while the patients who were considered unstable or unable to move without assistance were now being attended to in a cautionary yet timely manner.

“Dr. Park, the patient in room 219 just had a mastectomy and could use some help with transportation. And Dr. Lim, I think Dr. Resnick could use some help with the young man in room 222. He seems to have re-dislocated his shoulder in an attempt to flee.” 

The two of them quickly dispersed. 

“Where are we at?” Audrey asked, putting on a pair of latex gloves. 

“I was just trying to pop his shoulder back into place so we can move him but the patient is being difficult.”

The patient scoffed in disagreement.

“Hold him steady.” Audrey moved into position ignoring the patients protests. “On the count of three.” She began counting down but didn’t make past two before making the abrupt adjustment causing the young man to scream in pain. “He’s good to go. Bring him to the ER and have them issue some anti-inflammatory medication. Once you’ve done that, find some of the portable oxygen tanks and start administering it to the people who are still in the hallway.”

Removing her gloves and heading back to the main nurses station, Audrey noticed the firefighters had now made it onto the scene dressed head to toe in protective gear. They had started ushering the remaining staff and patients though the main doors and into the hallway where they would receive relief from the thick smoke that had formed in the air around them. 

As she made way to leave herself, Audrey observed one of the nurses struggling to get control of of an older gentleman who had become aggressive in her attempts to transport him into his wheelchair. As it was beginning to get harder to breath, she covered her mouth with her forearm before grabbing a vile of sedation medication and hurrying across the room to provide assistance.

Once the situation had been handled and all accounted for patients and staff had been safely transported away from any danger, Audrey leaned her back against the wall, coughing. 

She took a moment to assimilate. Looking around the crowded hallway, she was surprised to see most people had made it out without a scratch. The next steps would be ensuring each person exposed received a thorough examination on their circulation and breathing to rule out any internal damage. 

Making her way down the hallway, she assisted the doctors with patient triages and directing them to other sections of the hospital. By the time there were only a handful of patients left, she began mentally accounting for everyone, verifying there were no loose ends. Suddenly, she recalled her previous conversation with Neil and came to the horrifying realisation that he should have been there.

“Dr. Melendez,” Audrey paused to cough. “Where is Dr.Melendez?”

“The last I saw him, he was checking in on the patient in room 206” replied a nurse. 

“What?” Audrey took a sudden intake of breath, triggering another coughing fit. Dr. Resnick was promptly at her side, holding out a mask which was hooked up to a portable oxygen tank. She waved her off. 

Her mind began to race. Room 206 was one of the rooms which had been cornered by the flames. Over all the shouting, moving bodies, and chaos she had not seen or heard from Neil since he had left her standing in his office not more than thirty minutes ago. Even so, she was certain he had been there. In the ten years she had grown to know Neil in both a personal and professional manner, the one thing that had always been consistent was his desire to do good and his determination to save his patient, even if it meant literally running through a fire to do so. 

When she regained control of her lungs, Audrey did not pause to think. Zig-zagging between the last handful of patients and empty gurneys, she made her way back towards the hazardous area. 

“Where are you going?” Dr. Resnick shouted after her.

“Dr. Melendez is still in there.”

Before she could reach the doors to enter back into the surgical short stay unit, Dr. Park had caught up to her and placed himself between her and the double glass doors. If she was fazed but his actions, she didn't show it. She pushed passed him in an attempt to get by, but he caught her arm. 

“You’re not suited,” Dr. Park tried to reason with her. “One step back though those doors and your lungs will fill up with smoke. You won’t make it five feet.” 

Audrey didn’t make eye contact with him, her focus entirely on the firefighters dressed head to toe in protective gear, using what looked to be a hose ejecting thick ropes of foam to smother the now dissipating flames. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. For all she knew, he was lying on the ground of the hospital floor unable to breath due to significant smoke inhalation, while his young patient lay frightened and immobile. Audrey attempted to evade Dr. Parks grasp, but his reaction was to only pull her into him. 

After a feeble attempt to escape, she sank into him, defeated. Not only was he much stronger than her, he was right, and she knew this. 

Audrey Allowed Dr.Park to escort her down the hall, further away from any potential hazards. They made it no more than ten steps before they heard the shouts of one of the firefighters clearly though the entrance doors, calling for help as a person had been found. Audrey turned around, hopeful, but felt her heart drop as she noticed a young woman, no older than twenty-five, holding tightly onto one of the firefighters arms for support, while covering her mouth with a discarded t-shirt. Audrey and Dr. Park sprang into action, rushing forward to assess any possible injuries that needed immediate attention. Audrey took the lead, doing a quick initial assessment looking for any severe burns or lacerations. When she found nothing superficial that looked to be threatening, she motioned for Dr. Resnick who approached with the oxygen tank.

Once the mask was secured around her airways and they had gotten her safely on a gurney, Audrey turned to Dr. Resnick. “Take her to radiology and have them immediately begin a chest x-ray.”

“Right away, Dr. Lim.” 

As Dr. Resnick and two nurses took off down the hall, more shouts were heard from inside the surgical short stay.

“We’ve got two more!” 

This time, when Audrey turned around, her heart skipped a beat. 

“Neil.” 

He emerged from the thick clouds of smoke, his young patient in his arms and a firefighter following closely behind, announcing they were the last two.

“I need a doctor!” Neil shouted. 

Before she could make a move, Dr. Park placed a hand on her shoulder. “I got this, you stay with Dr. Melendez.” She gave him a grateful nod before he raced up to Neil and took the unconscious boy from him arms. Promptly, he begun shouting orders at the remaining nursing staff as they all took off towards help. 

When they were finally alone in the hallway, Audrey cautiously approached Neil, placing a hand on his cheek to wipe away ashes that had fallen from the fire. He was breathing heavily and looked exhausted but he softened into her touch. After taking a moment to silently search each others eyes, grateful to know the other was safe, her name escaped his lips, just above a whisper. She pulled him into her arms holding him close. For the first time that evening, she let out a sigh of relief, letting herself relax into his embrace. 

Their moment of tranquility did not last long however, as she felt his body begin to collapse into hers as he passed out in her arms. 

oOo

“Audrey. Hey Audrey” She felt herself being nudged awake from her light slumber. 

It took her a moment to register where she was, but when she lifted her head from her hand that had been resting on the side of the hospital bed mattress and she felt the kink in her lower back from where it had been hunched over the past few hours, the events of the previous night came rushing back. 

“Neil.” 

For a moment she just took in his appearance. After he had passed out in her arms, with the help of one of the firefighters, she had gotten him to the ICU where a doctor was able to relieve Audrey from her distress and take over all medical responsibilities, while allowing her to remain close by for support. After an invasive examination was performed, followed by a bronchoscopy on his airways to check for damage and collect samples, he was brought to one of the few private rooms left available where a nurse discarded his ruined scrubs and replaced them with a hospital gown. Once they were left alone, Audrey hooked him up to a nose tube distributing oxygen and used a damp washcloth to clean his face of debris. When she was done, she pulled the small couch from the corner of the room to the side of his bed where she allowed her fatigue to finally get the best of her.

He was now laying in the hospital bed staring up at her, hair tousled, and a weak smile plastered on his face. 

“How are you feeling?”

“My chest is a little sore.” His voice was hoarse, just above a whisper. “And my head is pounding.”

“That would be the pain meds wearing off.”

He let out a small laugh that turned into a harsh cough, causing him to sit up abruptly.

“Here” she handed him a plastic cup of lukewarm water. He took the cup from her grasp and carefully raised it to his lips, wincing as he felt the liquid sliding down his parched throat. He handed her back the cup before collapsing back into the pillows, spent. 

For a moment, the two of the sat in comfortable silence. There was so much left unsaid between them that needed to be discussed, but if the events of last night had confirmed anything, it was that they no longer wanted to spend any unnecessary time apart. 

Finally, Neil spoke. “Thank you” he said sincerely. When her face scrunched slightly in confusion, he continued. “For staying with me throughout the night. For being there.”

“How do you know I was there the whole time? You were passed out throughout most of the night.” She attempted to joke but the question came out serious.

“Because I know you” he paused for a split second. “And I would have done the same thing if the situation was reversed.” 

Her face softened and she reached out to grab his hand. He responded with the slightest of squeezes but it was all she needed to feel optimistic. 

“I love you” she said. 

“I love you too.”

Audrey let out a small laugh and shook her head. Neils eyebrow raised in questioning which did not go unnoticed. 

“How come we can only have these grand admission of feelings when one of us has had a near death experience?”

He smiled but said, “we’ll get better at this."

“What do you suppose we do?”

“We’ll figure it out” he responded, pulling their clasped hands to his chest and interlacing their fingers. “Together.”


End file.
